Coffee and Cars a bit too early in the morning for you? Night owls can head to The Derby and treat themselves to a Southern meal among a showroom full of classic cars and motorcycles. For an additional $15, book a tour for a closer look at the collection. Check the schedule for their next nighttime meetups.

Fun nights out don’t always have to involve alcohol. Meet up at coffee shops like Golden Roastery, Mazajj Organic Coffee, Wah, Rice Coffeehouse, or Qamaria Café instead of the usual bars. If the group still splits itself between wanting a drink and staying sober, consider Agora, Double Trouble, Roast & Brew, Wild, or Toros HTX to keep everyone happy.

Numbers, Avant Garden, River Oaks Theatre, and other local venues regularly host burlesque shows on nights when going to a concert, karaoke, or even a standard strip club just seems played out. Talented performers—both from Houston and around the country—hit the stage wrapped in show-stopping costumes, incorporating an impressive variety of dance styles, aerials, and sometimes even sword swallowing into their routines.

Fancy yourself a comedian? A poet? Perhaps a singer-songwriter? Open mics pop up around Houston regularly. Try out your tight five at Secret Group, show off your songwriting skills at Axelrad, or recite a voluminous verse at Brazos Bookstore or Write About Now, which has won national awards for its spoken word nights.

An estimated 300,000 Mexican free-tailed bats call the underside of the Waugh Bridge home, and once it gets dark, they all get to flapping outside to feed. It’s one of the quintessential Houston experiences. Catch a show with a side of education at select times of the year, when experts give a 30-minute lecture on these magnificent mammals before they flock.

Pro Tip: Waugh Bridge is home to the largest colony in the city, but you can still watch the bats emerge from under bridges along Sims, White Oak, and Halls Bayous, too.

Night markets have become increasingly more popular in Houston, likely because it’s a great time to get up and get out without worrying about swamp ass ruining your good time. Discovery Green hosts Flea by Night, featuring local small businesses. Thorn & Moon’s Magickal Market travels to different spots around the city, celebrating the mystical and macabre, with the occasional evening event. Asia Society Texas Center throws a massive annual night market full of food and fun. And Axelrad’s weekly Shop Local market delivers on the name.

OK, this one is slightly cheating. Movies are a classic nighttime activity, traditionally preceded by dinner. But Houston offers variety beyond the typical 20-screen metroplex only showing first-run films. Try the two-screen Rooftop Cinema Club (located on an Uptown rooftop, appropriately) and Moonstruck Drive-In on cooler nights to catch a flick on your to-watch list. Elsewhere, Discovery Green, Helix Park, Market Square Park, Axelrad, Trebly Park, Menil Collection, and the Skylawn at Post all offer free outdoor movie nights for when your entertainment budget wears a bit thin.  

When the weather misbehaves, River Oaks Theatre, Rice Cinema, Aurora Picture Show, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston all fill their schedules with cult films, classics, rarities, indies, shorts, and art and/or foreign films you won’t be able to find screening anywhere else.

Good news! You can still feel like a mole person even when the tunnels under Downtown close for the day. The Buffalo Bayou Park Cistern closes at 7pm on most nights, but doors stay open even later for special events like the 21+ Cistern After Hours socials. On regular nights, Houstonians can go spelunking into the century-old water storage space for a tour, check out immersive art, or listen to music surrounded by some of the best acoustics in the city.

A celebrated installation artist James Turrell makes its home on the Rice University Campus, just outside the Shepherd School of Music. At sunrise and sunset every day, visitors gather inside the structure to watch a dazzling light show. Keep an eye out on the schedule, too, which sometimes features musicians, dancers, and other performers to present a show responding to the space.

Pro Tip: Combine this visit with a trip to Rice Cinema and Rice Coffeehouse, which is open until midnight.

Gallery openings already make for a fine night out. Admission, wine, and snacks are free. The fashions are always a glory to behold, and, best of all, you get to scope out exciting artworks from around the world. MFAH stays open late every Thursday, offering free general admission. Or, split the difference between gallery and nightclub at Post Houston’s Art Club, which offers both experiences in one, with multiple exhibitions often featuring illuminated, trippy works. Bonus: You can fuel up at the excellent food hall downstairs beforehand.

Most Buffalo Bayou tours happen in the late afternoon and early evening times when it's still light out, but there are options to cruise Houston’s most defining natural feature well after the sun sets. Buffalo Bayou Partnership offers two nighttime-themed boat rides: one focused on the city’s beloved bats, and another around the winter holidays, with stellar views of the lights Downtown. Even long-time residents are bound to learn something new on these aquatic excursions.

SPJST Lodge 88, a Czech community center in the Heights, holds bingo every Thursday, and $15 (cash only) gets you a package of cards. You can BYO food, wine, or liquor (for a $4 corking fee per bottle), or order mixers, sodas, hard seltzers, and beer from the bar onsite. The bingo nights are a real hidden gem here, and great for a low-key family night out. Make sure to look at the Lodge’s calendar for live music, dances, and other low-cost evening activities for all ages.